From Pastor Andrew’s Desk
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Hello FCCBers!
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
Well, it looks like it’s apple pickin’ season! What a joy to see Norma Rushton, Leslie Van Volkinburg and crew in the FCCB kitchen as the apple crisp making has begun! If you’d like to join in the fun this week feel free to pop by the FLC. Chances are you’ll find the team peeling, paring and preparing! Note that Scott Winslow will be manning an FCCB table outside the church at Saturday’s Apple Festival to greet people in town. Feel free to pop by there to say hello and greet people with him. Hundreds of people will be parking in our lot and around our grounds so let’s be praying for opportunities to connect and reach out. See you there!
As for Sunday,
we have adult Sunday school at 9:00am. Rebecca Morgan will be leading an all church Sunday school , continuing the theme of identity, “who are you in Christ?” We are intent on going deeper in the Lord! As for preaching,identity will be our primary focal point as well. I will continue our look at 2 Corinthians, with an emphasis on 2:1-17 this Sunday.
In beginning of chapter 2, the Apostle Paul continues to explain why he changed his travel plans. In 2:1 Paul states that he has decided not to make another painful visit to the Corinthian church. The history of the Corinthian church was quite spotty and their disobedience to the Lord at times brought incredible grief. Paul longed for them to experience the best in their faith in Christ and unfortunately they were settling for less in so many ways. Paul didn’t want to grieve them, but he had to express his desire for them to reawaken to Christ. True love is often not easy and involves sharing some hard truths at times, a concept that runs counter to our society. The words ‘love’ and ‘tolerance’ have been hijacked from their deep roots in grace and truth and have essentially been co-opted. Now if we truly “love” someone we will let them do whatever they want that makes them “happy.” Really? The problem with this philosophy is that it believes that people will fundamentally make the right decisions if left to their own desires.
Think about the people in your life who made a big impact on your journey.
Did they challenge you to not settle in your walk with the Lord?
Did they encourage you to keep seeking Him no matter what?
Sharing difficult words with people is not easy often coupled with with fear and trepidation. Even the Apostle Paul, as bold as he was, said
“for I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you” (2:4).
Because the Apostle Paul loved the Corinthian church so much he reached out and shared in love.
Then the Apostle Paul speaks of the effect of corporate sin (sin of the whole group). He says “if anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you, to some extent- not to put it too severely.” (2:5).
He goes on to state that
“the punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient for him.”
In other words someone who has sinned against an individual or a group brings a lot of grief. Sin is never personal, it always affects others. Paul acknowledges this and reminds us of the deep seriousness of sin. Yet, Paul also reminds them that we understand the gravity of our own sin, even if we are slow to acknowledge it.
So Paul asks the Corinthian church to do something completely counter-intuitive. He states,
“now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you therefore, to reaffirm your love for him.” (2:7-8).
Wow, this type of forgiving spirit can only come from God! In forgiveness, the Lord releases us from our own prison of bitterness, anger and guilt and the Lord releases the other person from their prison of shame and guilt. Although forgiveness is very hard, it is truly a “win-win!”
Speaking through Paul, the Lord desired the Corinthian church to experience the joy of being a forgiving church. The Lord desires First Church to be a forgiving church also in that we don’t hold offenses over people. Forgiveness does not turn a blind eye to sin in the lives of others. That approach could be described as “abdication” or “being a willing party to their death spiritually.”
Rather, forgiveness acknowledges that an offense occurred and the pain it caused, while simultaneously giving a person the relief of hearing “I forgive you.”
I think the best way to stop sinning is to know how much we have been forgiven by God and others. This wells up in gratitude in us for His grace and gives us a hunger to do the right thing, to seek Him. Paul concludes this powerful group of verses on forgiveness in v. 10-11 when he states
“if you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven- if there was anything to forgive- I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.”
Indeed, Satan wants to keep us locked up in a hard-hearted prison of bitterness, guilt, and despair. Don’t take the bait. May our identity be fully formed in Christ, taking on His character of love and forgiveness empowered by truth and grace. May the Lord strengthen us as we work through this process of forgiveness !
Lastly, the Apostle Paul gives thanks. He states,
“thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads the everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him” (v. 14).
You and I are the ‘fragrance of Christ’ who brings His love to the world. Paul continues by stating,
“for we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death, to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task.” (v. 15-16).
These are very interesting verses. If our identity is fully in Christ, we bring Him to our relationships and He works through us. It is the sweetest smell of hope to some who know the Lord or who are going to come to faith in Him. What a privilege to be that aroma of Christ. Yet, to others we will not smell good. The Gospel can be quite offensive to people because it lays a claim on our lives. The Gospel clearly says we are all sinners and therefore need a Savior. Unfortunately many people do not want to face up to that fact, and this message will offend. We don’t have to be offensive to people – in fact, please don’t!
Yet, by association with Christ we might lose some friendships and go through very hard times with those who don’t accept His grace. It is tempting to live in fear and be quiet, instead of sharing and living out the Gospel message. It is not you that people are rejecting in these moments, it is Christ. If our identity is not found in Him, we will feel the rejection personally and carry it on our back. We are not meant to live this way. People are accountable to God ultimately and we leave this to Him and just seek to love people and share the Good News as He leads!
May the Good Lord give us a love that cares boldly and deeply for people for their best in Christ. So much so that we might even share the hard truths from time to time. Yet, may we also have a spirit that is quick to forgive and love people through challenging moments. May we be the aroma of Christ that is always pouring out His love and grace even if people reject the message. Some will embrace it. Some will come to know the fullness of the joy of walking with Christ and some will truly live out this call that you and I embrace. Let’s trust and believe the God who is our only hope, peace and joy!
We look forward to seeing you at the Apple Festival and enjoying some good apple crisps! Also, just a reminder that we will have a “Transformation Inside and Out” update from Dan Frasier and Don Wood on Sunday. It will be great to hear! See you this weekend! Blessings, Pastor Andrew |
